Weather Underground midday recap for Friday, July 10, 2009.
The Northern Plains and Upper Mississippi River Valley saw active weather on Friday, while scattered showers and thunderstorms persisted in the Southeast.
A strong low pressure system tracked eastward through central Canada and created an intense cold front that swept through the Central US. The system pulled moist air into the region from the Gulf of Mexico, which allowed for scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop ahead of the front. Some of these storms turned severe with 64 mph wind gusts reported to have torn down a tree limb of 1 foot in diameter in Story City, Iowa. In Ames, Iowa, 0.40 inches fell in one hour, while Davenport, Iowa reported a total of 1.67 inches of rain and 23 mph winds with gusts up to 31 mph.
Ahead of this system, the Ohio River Valley and Northeast saw an increased cloud cover with highs remaining in the 70s and 80s. Rain has not yet been reported over these areas.
In the South, a stationary front that has lingered over the region for a few days continued kicking up scattered showers and thunderstorms on Friday. Moisture from the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean fed into this system and spread light rainfall over northern Florida and southern Georgia.
In the Southern Plains, a heat advisory remained in effect on Friday as high pressure allowed for temperatures to surpass 100 degrees in most places. Fires remained a threat as windy conditions persisted with 23 mph winds and gusts up to 32 mph reported in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
In the West, monsoonal moisture over the Southwest, in addition to a small trough of low pressure overhead, allowed for high level scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop. Dry conditions at the surface allowed for most precipitation to evaporate before it reached the ground. Meanwhile, the West Coast remain sunny and warm with high pressure over the region.
Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday have ranged from a morning low of 30 degrees at Mammoth, Calif to a midday high of 113 degrees at Alva, Okla.
On this date in 1913, a record setting temperature was reported at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, Calif. The 134 degree temperature is generally considered to be the warmest temperature ever in the Western Hemisphere. Incredibly, the previous day recorded a high of 129 degrees and a morning low of 93 degrees.